Reading

Vision

At Lunesdale Learning Trust, we recognise the fundamental importance of language in terms of a young person articulating their own world view, personality and sense of self.

To be literate is to have a voice; it opens the door to a happy emotional, social and professional life. Empowering young people to feel confident in their use of language including reading, writing and speaking–is therefore at the heart of our focus on ‘Scholarship & Care’.

To this end, we offer a ‘support and inspire’ approach to Literacy, with adapted teaching and literacy interventions offering support, and a range of cross curricular literacy initiatives to inspire our young people to celebrate and enjoy their literacy, as well as two vibrant libraries to enjoy.

Please see our Reading Strategy for further details.

Aims

Colleagues at the Lunesdale Learning Trust will have a clear understanding of the ‘reading needs’ of our learners through the reading baseline assessment and sharing of reading ages and standardised reading scores.
For those pupils with below expected scores and reading ages, targeted support is implemented which leads to rapid progress in increasing their ability to read accurately, fluently and for meaning.
To develop and embed a positive reading culture across the whole Trust which will allow all readers to flourish for life, forging strong links with our librarians.
Staff at the Lunesdale Learning Trust to think in a granular and deliberate way about reading strategy using a shared language and approach to articulate this clearly to learners.
Staff at the Lunesdale Learning Trusts to support parents and guardians in supporting their child’s reading habits.

How this will be achieved:

We assess each pupil’s starting point and additional diagnostic assessments to be undertaken for those with below expected reading ages / below age related expectations. This data will be shared with staff via Bromcom trackers.

The Learning Support team will implement targeted interventions for those pupils identified along with liaison with our librarians who offer further interventions through library lessons.

Throughout the academic year, further diagnostic assessments along with annual NGRT tests to be undertaken at timely milestones to monitor and measure impact of the interventions.
We will develop a positive reading culture across the curriculum by raising the profile of reading both inside and outside the classroom
Working with Heads of Departments, we will develop curriculum reading within subject areas.
Working with parents and carers, we will increase parental engagement.

Diagnostic assessments

CATs, NGRT and GL assessments will be used to provide baseline data. This will be used to inform class teachers of respective reading ages and standardise scores to better meet pupils’ needs within the classroom. From this, class teachers will be able to adapt their curriculum implementation accordingly.

Additional assessments using various programmes will be undertaken for those pupils with a reading age below their chronological age in order to put in place a targeted, bespoke support package.

Interventions

We do not wish to narrow the breadth of our curriculum offer for pupils and, as such, we will deliver the relevant intervention creatively within and outside of the timetabled curriculum. Within the Learning Support department, we offer several interventions to narrow the gap of reading and promote pupils’ comprehension. We offer:

1:1/paired reading. Pupils in year 7, 8 and 9 are paired with a member of learning support or a KS4 or 5 Student Leader and sessions take place during form time.
Small group reading with a LSA or a Student Leader in groups of three or four.
Lexonik Leap – small group intervention which effectively resolves phonics gaps for learners who find literacy particularly challenging and those for whom English is not their first language, rapidly progressing reading, spelling and oracy. Specially trained LSAs conduct an initial diagnostic assessment to allow for an individualised learning pathway, meaning the duration of the programme is dictated by the level of need.
Cumbrian Reading Intervention (CRI) – delivered by a specially trained LSA. They will typically work with one pupil for forty sessions over a ten week period. Following initial assessment sessions there are forty teaching sessions. It focuses on phonology to allow pupils to gain tools to narrow the gap in their reading/ learning.
Additional Literacy- We offer additional Literacy lessons to our year 8 and 9 pupils who we identify in year 7 through interventions and their progress in English who need additional intervention. Three LSAs deliver the additional literacy programme, teach back to basics Literacy, and focus on reading comprehension. Pupils are withdrawn from one of their MFL lessons and have three lessons over a two week period.
Additional English – In Key Stage 4, some students may opt or be advised to take Additional English as one of their five options. This helps to support and develop their progress with reading and writing.

Monitoring interventions to ensure pupil progress

At key points in the academic year, pupils who are on the above interventions will have their progress reviewed. This review point will be delivered and assessed by the Learning Support team. With the relevant accurate data provided, the Learning Support team will review the intervention in place and determine next steps.

Staff Development

To ensure that our staff are prepared with effective strategies and resources to promote and develop pupils’ reading we have dedicated a significant proportion of our CPD time to reading. Staff will receive CPD on:

Reading data and interventions offered at the Lunesdale Learning Trust and how staff can adapt teaching to suit the ‘reading ages’ of pupils whilst also covering the breadth and challenge of the curriculum.
Reading aloud: how to read aloud effectively, using tone, voice and pitch.
Reciprocal reading: what it is and how to use it within the classroom.
Department curriculum and reading: reading demands in subject areas and how to plan and resource effectively both in the classroom and through reading homework.

Develop curriculum reading in subject areas

Led by Heads of Department, class teachers will review their curriculum areas using
the EEF ‘Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools’ audit, exploring:

What reading looks like in their curriculum areas and reviewing how reading is ‘taught’ in their specific domains.
Resourcing reading in their curriculum.
How staff can adapt their curriculum for those pupils who struggle with their
reading.

Subject Disciplinary Reading

Click on a subject to download the disciplinary reading document

Parental Engagement

A number of strategies are used to better engage parents and guardians:

We are working towards creating a termly library newsletter to act as a ‘Reading Corner’ with tips for encouraging reluctant readers, book recommendations and literacy games to try at home.
During Subject Review Evenings, we offer tailored information and book recommendations to year groups parents/guardians alongside promoting this through Accessit and on our school website.
All Year 6 pupils are given a suggested reading list and a reading tracker the summer before they start at QES. Reference to students’ summer reading is included in the library induction programme where students are encouraged to return their trackers and share their summer reading.
We will include further information for parents and carers during the induction sessions we offer in Term 1.
We promote and share our events in the library and for reading across the Trust through our use of social media, mainly our Twitter account.

QE Canon

What is a Literary ‘Canon’

The word “canon” originates from the Greek kanôn, meaning a “measuring rod” or “standard”.

Original Context: It was first used to describe a set of rules or an official list of religious texts accepted as holy scripture, such as the Bible, distinguishing them from apocryphal (non-canonical) works.

A literary ‘canon’ in the sense we mean here, is a body of writing that is recognised as most worth reading!

The QE Canon

At QE Schools, we put reading at the heart of our practice. We know that reading regularly is one of the strongest predictors of academic success. The QE Canon is an entitlement for all pupils that gives your child the best opportunity to be exposed to a rich, ambitious and diverse range of texts that develop vocabulary, knowledge and confidence.

Through engaging with the Canon, pupils:

• Build resilience and focus
• Develop empathy and understanding
• Strengthen vocabulary and comprehension
• Increase cultural awareness

Reading is one of the strongest predictors of academic success. Pupils who read widely and regularly develop stronger vocabulary, deeper knowledge, greater empathy and improved confidence across all subjects.

Does my child always have to be reading a text from the Canon?

No! The Canon is a guide to help you and your child choose great texts to read but it is not a requirement to always read from the Canon.

How Parents Can Support Reading at Home

Encourage 20 Minutes of Reading Daily
Little and often builds stamina.
Ask Open Questions about what has been read
• What surprised you in this chapter?
• Which character do you find interesting? Why?
• Did anything confuse you?
Model Reading
Children who see adults read are more likely to value reading themselves.
Celebrate Milestones
Acknowledge when your child finishes a book or moves into a new Challenge Zone.
Don’t Worry if a Book is Challenging
Struggle can be productive. Encourage persistence, but support where needed.

Our Commitment

The QE Canon is part of our wider reading strategy. Alongside classroom support, library lessons and targeted interventions, it ensures every pupil can grow as a confident, capable reader.

Year 7 & 8

Within the Year 7 and 8 Canon, books are grouped into Challenge Zones to ensure appropriate stretch and progression. Pupils can choose texts from any challenge zone but we would encourage them to ‘range around’ and challenge themselves!

To celebrate commitment and perseverance, we will recognise pupils who reach reading milestones:

• 10 Books – Bronze Reader
• 20 Books – Silver Reader
• 30 Books – Gold Reader
• 40+ Books – Platinum Reader

Certificates and recognition will be awarded in school.

Further details on all the books can be found using this link to our library webpage: Accessit – QE Canon Year 7/8

The library holds copies of all the books listed on the Canon, however, please see the below links to LoveReading4Kids should you wish to purchase any of the texts. If you do purchase, there is an option to donate 25% of the cost of the book to the library – which would of course be directly invested in more books for the library!

QE Canon Year 7/8

Together, school and home can make reading habitual, valued and enjoyable for life.

Years 9 - 11

The Year 9-11 QE Canon is an entitlement that gives your child the best opportunity to be exposed to a rich, ambitious and diverse range of texts that develop vocabulary, knowledge and confidence. All of the 100 texts have been carefully selected to help encourage and support all readers, including those who might be reluctant!

Through engaging with the Canon, pupils:

• Build resilience and focus
• Develop empathy and understanding
• Strengthen vocabulary and comprehension
• Increase cultural awareness

To celebrate commitment and perseverance, we will recognise pupils who reach reading milestones:

• 10 Books – Bronze Reader
• 20 Books – Silver Reader
• 30 Books – Gold Reader
• 40+ Books – Platinum Reader

Certificates and recognition will be awarded in school.

Please note that all the fiction in the QE Canon Year 9-11 is held in our Young Adult collection; this means that, while the books are written for a teenage audience, they can include more mature themes and content than our Junior Fiction.

Further details on all the books can be found using this link to our library webpage: Accessit – QE Canon Year 9-11

The library holds copies of all the books on the Canon, however, please see the below link to LoveReading4Kids should you wish to purchase any of the texts. If you do purchase, there is an option to donate 25% of the cost of the book to the library – which would of course be directly invested in more books for the library!

QE Canon Year 9-11

Year 12 & 13

The Year 12-13 QE Canon is an entitlement for all QESixth pupils that gives your child the best opportunity to be exposed to a rich, ambitious and diverse range of texts that develop vocabulary, knowledge and confidence.

Through engaging with the Canon, pupils:

• Build resilience and focus
• Develop empathy and understanding
• Strengthen vocabulary and comprehension
• Increase cultural awareness

To celebrate commitment and perseverance, we will recognise pupils who reach reading milestones:

• 10 Books – Bronze Reader
• 20 Books – Silver Reader
• 30 Books – Gold Reader
• 40+ Books – Platinum Reader

Certificates and recognition will be awarded in school.

Please note that all of the fiction in the QE Canon Year 12-13 is held in our Senior Fiction collection; this means that the books are written for an adult audience and therefore include more mature themes and content than our Young Adult or Junior Fiction collections.

Further details on all the books can be found using this link to our library webpage: Accessit – QE Canon Y12/13

Free School Meals

Vision

Aims